Jerusalem, Jan 13 : The leaflets that the Israeli Air Force has dropped over Gaza during Operation Cast Iron warning civilians of impending air strikes and ground movements could help its army to argue that it has not committed war crimes in Gaza.

Amos Guiora, an expert on international law, operational counter-terrorism and the Middle East, said by dropping warning brochures, the IDF was "perceived as making an effort to reduce collateral damage," a condition required by international law.

Jerusalem, Jan. 13:The banned militant organisation Hamas is reportedly willing to allow a Turkish force to be deployed at the Rafah crossing, the London-based Arabic daily Al Hayat said.

The Jerusalem Post said Hamas would agree to a Turkish deployment of forces because it "harbors respect to Turkey as an Islamic nation."

Turkey has made clear that it would be willing to contribute to a "technical" or "observer" mission.

Jerusalem, Jan. 13 : It seems a new front has been opened up in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the banned militant organisation Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Jerusalem, Jan. 12 : Israel started pouring reservists into Gaza on Monday as the death toll in its war on Hamas neared 900, but officials said an end to the fighting might be in sight as more ceasefire talks were scheduled in Egypt.

According to Fox News, Israeli ground forces made their deepest foray yet Sunday into Gaza''s most populated area, with tanks rolling into residential neighborhoods and infantry fighting urban warfare in streets and buildings with Hamas militants who kept up their rocketing of southern Israel.

Jerusalem, Jan. 12: Israel has claimed that the military wing of Hamas is close to being destroyed.

The country's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, and intelligence chiefs gave a series of positive briefings to a cabinet meeting that agreed to give the military more scope to confront Hamas in the urban battlegrounds of the Gaza Strip, reports The Telegraph.

Jerusalem - The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, would only resume its full operations in the Gaza Strip after it received safety assurances from the Israeli military, an official said Friday.

"We need an effective mechanism of coordination and that must include every soldier in the Israeli army knowing that it does not fire on clearly marked UN vehicles," UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

"We have to receive from the Israeli authorities an absolute guarantee that this effective coordination mechanism is in place," he stressed.